‘Food Stop Diner’ to Break the Myth of Railway Food

Kochi: Food Stop Diner (FSD), the non-aero division of Casino Air Caterers and Flight Services (CAFS), is ready to serve the people on the move at Ernakulam South railway station. “We want to break the myth of railway food completely. The food standard which we have introduced is superior compared to any of the other railway food ventures,” said Dominic Joseph, Head of FSD. He added that they will extend the project pan India if it is successful here.

Known for their unique style of making people enjoy vacations in the lap of nature without ever so disturbing the ecosystem, CGH Earth is synonymous with responsible tourism. When Kochi started to figure on the air routes map, CGH Earth came up with CAFS to cater to the airline sector.

CAFS serves all major international and domestic airlines operating from the airports at Kochi, Kozhikode, Chennai, Mangaluru, Jaipur and Pune. Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Lucknow, Vizag and Bhubaneswar will be added to the list soon.

FSD is the Master Concessionaire at Terminal 3 in Cochin International Airport (CIAL) operating the Food Court and other F&B outlets at the international terminal. It has also been awarded the Master Concessionaire at Terminal 1 in CIAL which will commence operations shortly. CAFS wants to bring the same standard with which they serve airlines in railways also. “Train is no less important than a plane. Railway stations also should have better food facilities for the public,” said Dominic.

It is by partnering with IRCTC that George Dominic, CEO and Managing Director of CAFS, turned the idea of this new venture into a reality. The state-of-the-art facility is a 8,000 sq.feet. centrally-air conditioned food court that meets all the standards of food safety and hygiene serving a variety of comfort food. Tiffin area on the first floor is a pure vegetarian section and the ground floor has been divided into different sections where non-vegetarian dishes will be served. The counter named ‘Curry Tree’ will serve South Indian as well as the local food whereas ‘Asian Street Food’ counter focusses on Chinese cuisine. There is also a counter for snacks. ‘Idli Bar’ (i Bar) is another innovative feature serving mini ‘idlis’ with sambar in small, medium and large-sized containers for people in a hurry.

All items are reasonably priced keeping in mind the railway passenger. One could have a meal for less than Rs.100 per head. “Here we are taking up the challenge to prove that a common person also can enjoy the same standard of dining as a person travelling in an airline,” said Jose Alex, Operations Manager.